The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-24
HOW TO GET NATURAL GAS
Suggestions From An Ohio Legislator
AS TO What the City Should Do.
How Toledo 0vercame the Same Obstacles
That Are Now Keeping the New Fuel Out
Of apolis-Another New Well.

Hon. o. S. Brumback, member of the Ohio
Legislature, is here from Toledo, spending a
Yhort vacation among friends. Mr.. Brumback,
while having so far as known. no direct com
mission from capitalists to study the Indanap-
oils pipe line problem, is sufficiently interested
in it to gather facts that he thinks will be of
use to monied men in Toledo and elsewhere who
would pipe gas to this city, if it not for the
low schedule Of prices in the natural-Ras ordi-
uance. This schedule he said sis lower
than that named by the council of any other
city. The true solution of how to obtain low
prices for consumers is competition. am told
that the opinion prevails here that Pittsburg is
getting her gas at five cents per thousand feet
An few instances that may be correct, but only
very large consumers get it at that figure. 1t Is
a matter of contract, and the low price is Sc
cured because, if one company is not willing to
furnish its fuel at that rate, several others will
jump at the chance to do il. Manufacturers
and others who do not much gas
pay a higher rate and the general consumer pro-
cures it at not less than seventy-fve per cent
of the cost of coal. Coal is cheaper in Pittsburg
than 1t is in other cities hence, seventy five per
cent of its cost means a relatively low figure
FOR gas. But PIttsburg, for reasons not neces-
sary to name should be criterion for Indian
apolis, Toledo other places, yet If the matter
of price was left to competition the manufactur-
of this city would obtain it at figures almost
as low as those named in the ordinance.
What are the rates in Toledo9" he was asked.
1--WE are paying the prices the Standard Oil
Company offered your citizens and are glad to
do it. / favored g lower rate, but the newspa-
pers and public sentiment were all against any
thing that tended to pooling the discussion over
prices. The question with US was not what
will have to pay for gas. but what will bring it2
An effort was made to get low schedule, but 1t
ceased quickly in face of public sentiment Had
the council passed ordinance fixing rates that
no company would have accepted, every mem
Der of it would have lost prestige and made his
defeat for reelection certain"
Have your expectations been realized as to
she benefits natural gas offers to a city,"
'More. Toledo, since the gas has been piped
into her streets. is new CITY, People have been
added to her population and an increase of man
ufacturinc interests is already observable. To
what extent cannot say but the evidence Of
Improvement is there and know it. We pros
pected a little near the city, squandered few
thousand dollars. got few two-penny wells
equal to any in this county and then settled
down to the fact that if got gas We must
pipe ir a distance of twenty-five miles.
That is what Indianapolis will
have to do. Your city will not obtain gas
than the Noblssville region, and not then until
the schedule Of prices is changed. No man
company is going to make an investment of
81 900 900 in uncertainty and that is all it is
without chance at least of some security.
Some OF your business men may think the
81, 600 900 too extravagant, but have two
companies in Toledo q home enterprise and
the other Standard Oil, and the plant of each
before it is completed will be ST., OOO,-
600. 1t can't be put in operation
TO supply city like Indianapolis
for less money and there is talking about
1t. Your people have expended good deal of
money prospecting. True they got some wells
but what do they amount to- have them
all, and il will take at least hundred of them
to supply portion of the city. Had the money
been used in organizing pipe line. and had the
effort been made to secure schedule under
which capital could rest easy tho city would
have gas to-day"
How many wells supply Toedo2"
I'VE began the work OF piping to that city
early in the spring. and the two companies to-
gether do not serve more than 80 per cent Of the
people Piping cannot be done in a hurry, and
les to bring what gas we now using. Five
wells giving the supply to the pipes of each
company. There is army of men work
in the streets now, laying additional
pine and when it is all down it will REQUIRE
twenty five thirty wells to furnish the supply,
but not such wells as you have in Marion coun-
~. Indianapolis will need gushers like the
Wainwright and Mallory wells Thirty wells of
that kind may supply this city Indianapolis
aud Toledo occupy relatively the position
10 the gas bearing rock. and what is true
serEing either of the cities is true In regard to
The other"
''Do you think if the Indianapolis ordinance
was favorable Ohio capitalists would lay a pipe
line to this city2"
Eyes. The men whom 1 could name have the
means and the gas lands in the Nobesville
zion. Very little could be done by them any
company this winter. What gas the city
get between this an d cold weather would not
amount to much but it would be something.
Yet foreign capital is going to assume the
risk under the schedule fixed in the ordinance.
and after all. foreign capital is what will do the
city the most good. We see evidences of it in
Toledo, whore the homo company, while it has
done well. is not enterprising the Stand ard
Oil Company"